


In the Shadows

by SpankedbySpike



Category: Haven (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Best Friends, Friendship/Love, Gen, Hand Jobs, Hope, Independence, Lucid Dreaming, M/M, Mildly Dubious Consent, Moving In Together, Naked Cuddling, Sleep, Sleepy Cuddles, Somnophilia, Touching, Young Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-26
Updated: 2017-08-26
Packaged: 2018-12-20 01:30:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11910402
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpankedbySpike/pseuds/SpankedbySpike
Summary: This is a Haven Alternate Universe fanfic in which Nathan Hansen, who always lived with his father and was never adopted by Chief Wuornos, befriended Duke Crocker early on and the life they are on the cusp of experiencing… Starting by them moving in together as soon as they turn 18.





	In the Shadows

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Have a little Faith](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11032125) by [CookieDoughMe](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CookieDoughMe/pseuds/CookieDoughMe). 



> Note: This is part of the Nate Hansen AU created by CookieDoughMe who has authorized inspired fans to join in the fun and contribute stories into the universe. GreyHaven has already started contributing and this piece, so far, works in the overall scheme of events highlighted by these fabulous authors.  
> Here is the link to the overall universe, I actively encourage you to check the series out :)  
> http://archiveofourown.org/series/740616

In the Shadows by Spanked by Spike

Words: 2682 words

Rating: Mature

Characters: Nathan and Duke, mention of Garland Wuornos and Gloria Verrano, as well as Hansen (Max) and Crocker (Simon) Seniors…

Potential triggers: non graphic mention of past abuse, consent issues, somnophilia…

 

Simon Crocker had left town so often that Duke had developed rare survival skills which had always impressed Nathan. The boy had to learn how to fend for himself, stay below the radar of nosy adults, and often entertain the popular crowd that made so much of his network at school and elsewhere in town. As if that wasn’t enough, he also managed to help provide for his family in ways that still astounds him.

 

Nate’s life hadn’t been easy either, but he’d had fewer issues to juggle in order to endure and somehow function. He wasn’t that popular and he certainly wasn’t boisterous. It could have been because he always had a roof over his head, food on the family table and only had to master one thing: avoid his father! He certainly could live a life in the shadow now. He had learned to exist as silently as he could very early on. Too early most would say, simply because Hansen senior wasn’t a nice man, a nice father or a nice husband. His father mean streak taught his son well to either go with the flow or disappear in the shadows…

 

Teaming up with Duke had worked to both their benefit. They had someone to vent to when things were getting overwhelming, a safe place to hide when they didn’t want to struggle alone and emotional comfort when the physical world kicked their asses. And they grew... Scheming, surviving, and dreaming of better days!

 

What made their strength was mostly the fact that people expected Duke and unknowingly were getting Nathan. Duke signed the deals and Nate was the steady mind behind that made sure they were iron clad. Duke could beat the crap out of a gang member but Nathan was the one picking the guy whose demise would make the biggest impression on his crew. Duke could steal anything and everything but only once Nate decided what was worth taking. It was their secret power, what made them a force to reckon with.

 

It was also a hint of that odd combination that brought them to Chief Wuornos attention. The man had a knack to track patterns and to smell trouble way before it became an issue that the town couldn’t buried deep down. He cared about them in a very under-rated and subtle way, and his involvement in their personal lives had certainly served one purpose, to give them goals!

 

Thanks to the kindness of a few good souls in their hometown, they’ve learned the value of education, of keeping a low enough profile and not to piss off the local authorities. They had these incredibly peaceful moments with Gloria most Sundays not counting these late nights chats when things had taken a turn for the worse and they ended up on the short side of the straw with their respective fathers...

 

It meant that ploys had been developed for nights on end, carried out with more precisions than anyone would have expected from two kids who finally now grew into their bodies, not as easily scared away or abused. Nathan didn’t fill up as nicely as Duke so far, still gangly, but there was a core strength in both of them built from their hard lives, built on hard work from menial jobs and even harder fights down at the docks.

 

Nathan loved the freedom they were getting now that they were adult. Being 18 meant no one was asking how they got their money, who else would co-sign a lease, nor cared much about the jobs they were holding as long as they could afford the place. They moved in last night but only tonight could sleep in the beds Duke put together. It had been fun to camp in their own apartment, but now the silences, the creaks of old wood planks, even the unknown shadows were startling him.

He couldn’t find sleep, and after turning and tousling in his bed, took matters into his hands and left for Duke room.  For whatever reason the other boy had ended up with the Queen size bed while Nathan was making do with the Full size one… grievous injustice of course!

 

But nevertheless life without him would be like pancakes without syrup, not worth living, Nathan was certain of it.

 

In the light cast by the full moon he stayed for a few minutes at the door watching his best friend be at peace, stretched on top of the sheets, naked as the day he was born. Nate counted up to 100, slowly cataloguing the shadows noticeable in Duke’s room, comparing them to the ones playing against his walls… He was tempted to go back in his bed but instead decided to spend the night here with Duke, safe and warm.

 

They had spent countless of nights crammed up against each other in their Twin beds growing up and seen each other in the buff more than he could keep track of. Still, now they were becoming men and Nathan was surprised by how much he was attracted to the beautiful body Duke had grown into.

 

He slowly slid on the top of the crumpled covers and laid on his side facing his sleeping friend. The dark long curls hid most of Duke’s eyes but did framed prettily the soft visible cheekbone. He let the back of his hand lightly caress the spot and push the strands of hair back, behind the beautiful shell of his brother in arm ear.

 

Duke didn’t move but now Nate could hear the small puff of air exhaled at regular intervals. It was quite the peaceful rhythm. He lowered his head on the back of his friend shoulders, and simply held on.

 

He matched their breathing and as it helped him calm down, he tried to settle in a more comfortable position. He wanted to stay close, to still touch the young Crocker.

 

His right hand landed on the curve of his behind, such an elegant line, so easy to rest upon and feel like it was his; His to love, his to caress, his to own...

 

It really wasn’t though. Duke was independent, Duke was fierce, Duke had given his all to Nathan and Nate just didn’t know yet how to care for what he was entrusted with. He understood on a general level that the partnership they had was unique and rare but he was just 18 and wasn’t sure he was emotionally mature enough to be able to understand much less express what was in his soul. How do you find words you’ve never heard?

 

None of their homes were places one could expect to hear words of support, of love or of trust. Duke read a lot, always eager to live another life, to learn of other worlds, to escape the daily grind. He could express the depth of his emotions in a way Nathan can’t yet, even though he now feels ready to learn, to step away from the well known and give the world a chance, as long as his buddy continued to be the wind beneath his wings...

 

His hand moved of its own volition, curving along the ribs, light but steady. Marking its territory yet giving the space there, enough room to expand and contract, just enough pressure to reassure him that Duke is alive, safe and sound. His fingers found the ticklish spot at his waist and as his boy moved slightly under their skimming, Nathan stopped; holding his breath, suddenly conscious of the fact Duke could awake at any moment.

 

He felt back on the mattress, wondering what he was thinking and freaking doing.

 

There was a level of indulgence he wasn’t ready to appreciate in being here, in bed with Duke, discovering the sweetness mostly seen when he slept, feeling the softness of skin patches rarely touched, imagining how to spoil him without the negative connotations brought forth by society and by their own fears.

 

Duke had always dared. To Nathan’s knowledge, nothing ever held him back if it mattered to him. He wasn’t like him though; for Nate, every touch was a sensual discovery he was keeping close to his heart, something hidden that he believed he had to keep secret since he realized it was something he could lose at any given moment. These rare moments shared with Duke when things were good are the pinnacle of Nathan’ existence; they were cherished and preciously guarded, so their memories could be summoned in times of need.

 

In elementary school he had to survive for a couple of years not feeling anything. It had its good and its bad moments, of course. Being a young adult though changed his perspective because now he knows his father has the same condition and the man is making his current stay in jail the highlight of all fights there thanks to it.

 

Most people don’t know that, as these are things better kept secret and he got his sense of self-preservation well ingrained in him by now. Today, Nate knows that when he was getting disciplined or his mom beaten it had no physical impact on his dad, that somehow it had also stripped his father of some parts of his humanity and he swore to himself when hiding in his bedroom closet, bloodied and shamed, that he’d never be that monster, that he will never forget what things felt like.

 

That’s when being friend with someone like Duke came in handy. The other boy put everything in perspective, and as they grew up to become the bane of Chief of Police Wuornos existence, he worked on hardening himself to those he needed to be wary about and to some of the activities essential to their survival.

 

So, yes, here in the dark, Nathan cherished the hard earned peace they had gained. Here, within the shadows, he wanted to claim Duke for himself, express his thankfulness and his hopes for a better future. Here, in this bed, he wanted to commit to memory something he wasn’t sure will survive the coming years and maybe his upcoming curse.

 

Turning back on his side he followed  the curve of Duke’s back, before letting his fingers trail the column of his spine. It was a slow procession, with forays into the row of ribs slowly rising and falling with the sleepy breathing of his friend.

 

His fingertips came to rest on the firm globes of his buttocks, and Nate knew that one day, he’d want to massage them, spread Duke open, transform him into putty into his hands, and have him eager to give his whole to Nathan, shift up and down, forward and backward, anything to find nirvana.

 

He let the pads of his fingers travel to the newly made tattoo on his shoulder. The skin was not red and puffy anymore but he hadn’t been authorized to linger then, afraid as they were of infections. He couldn’t see the intricacies of the design in the obscurity but he could feel the ridges and marvel at the courage it took to mark the skin that way. It was beautiful even though he knew that he couldn’t do it himself. After all, you needed a certain level of imagination to find a drawing he would want to preserve till the end of his life that he didn’t have...

 

He grazed the warm skin there one more time before letting his thumb follow the shell of Duke’s ear and then he couldn’t resist getting close and whispering “You are beautiful Duke”, wisps of hairs fluttering around the ridge and a long sigh from his buddy arose, forcing Nate to roll back and take a breather.

 

He took stock of his own body and the pleasurable sensations assaulting him.

 

There was a tingling in his extremities and he stretched. Looking down at his t-shirt covered torso he let his fingers brush the fabric and lift it up slowly, relishing the subtle graze on his heated skin, impatient to feel the breeze from the fan that could cool him down and lifting the garment higher, by slow increments. Pushing it over his head, he finally settled back on the bed, refusing to glance at Duke and spent a minute caressing his nipples, eager that he was to have them puff up and become even more sensitive, making certain he’d think next about his fattening dick and relieving the pressure growing there.

 

Nate felt a bit self-conscious, just not enough to stop his pursuit of happiness... Sensations were flooding his brain and as his sweaty palm was finally grasping his swollen cock he closed his eyes determined to catalog any and all reactions registering in his short-circuiting mind.

 

Of course this entire ruckus, no matter how silent and subtle Nathan thought he was, ended up waking up Duke.

 

The commotion was on the other side of the bed, so it was fleeting impressions first that brought Duke consciousness forth.

 

He could have sworn he felt caresses on his heated skin but it felt more like awareness than a discernible reality.

 

It’s with a full body shiver that he finally opened an eye to a porny vision he didn’t expect. Nate had a hand in his boxer pumping his dick with all his might, back arching of the bed, cockhead peeking at the top, dropping pre-cum on the fingers fisting it.

 

His other hand was brushing over a nipple. Duke could only guess how taut the nub must be and he didn’t want to have to guess in the darkness, so his numb arm shot out from underneath him, and without much thought joined his friend hand there. Nate was too far gone to react per se, so he scratched the nipple just to appreciate the tremor it elicited and smiled in his pillow.

 

This was freaking sexy!

 

There was a hitch in Nate’s breathing and a much faster rhythm of long strokes that  brought Duke’ attention down. There were pearls of come catching the light and then the shine of a cockhead wet and dripping made it an inviting feast he wanted to partake in. However Duke was still sleepy, sluggish in his movement, attracted to the party but not yet up to par to perform.

 

With a sigh, he brought his hand back to his side and wondered what brought this up. What the heck was Nathan doing here and now… Not that they haven’t masturbated in each other's vicinity before… And under the cover of the dark, sometimes even gave a hand to the other. But they were men now, they could have the girl and the privacy needed to delve into any carnal pleasures they wanted to explore.

 

Duke could hear Nathan breath finally calm down, he still had a hand in his boxer, the other over his face and looked like ready to fall asleep. But now, Duke was freaking awake!

 

With a smile in his voice, Nate whispered, « Thanks for the hand, Duke »

 

And his flustered friend answered in a rush, “What? No! That wasn’t me, really” and then he laughed because really, it had been beautiful to see Nathan lose it. And okay maybe he had a hand into it but he just couldn’t find it in himself to worry about his touchy approach. “I’m sorry man… I don’t know what to say… Was just waking up and didn’t think, just reacted.”

 

Nate lowered his arm and turned his face to try to convey his thoughts on the matter without ambiguity, “Man, I was perving perfectly well all by my lonesome self, and your touch was just the cherry on top of my cake. Didn’t mind it.” He added watching the smile spread on his best friend features.

 

Duke rolled on his side and playfully punched his arm… “I knew it, ahole and I’m available anytime you need me!” and he rushed his friend engulfing him in the bear hug to end all hugs, letting Nathan fight him back until they found the perfect position to sleep the night away.

 

The end.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading and if inspired, please comment, it feeds the Muse :)


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